Educational plastic set



Feb. 6, 1951 Q EVANS 2,540,432

EDUCATIONAL PLASTIC SET Filed March 15, 1946 Z/ PLAT l0 MOUL DING QJZEYfG/n-S Patented Feb. 6, 1951 EDUCATIONAL PLASTIC SET Clarence A. Evans, Atlanta, Ga.

Application March 15, 1946, SerialN0. 654,696

2 Claims. 1

' The present invention relates to improvements in educational devices and more particularly to an educational plastic set.

One of the objects thereof is to provide a simple, efficient and inexpensive holder for various items needed to simulate in a completely miniature form the actual casting operations involved in molding plastic materials.

Another object thereof is to provide in a compact, convenient form for use by young folks an educational set of plastic media with which to mold simple, highly instructive plastic shapes and objects.

- A further object thereof is to provide a complete outfit all the parts of which admit of lying in flat contact upon and against a flat backing board, as far as possible, and wherein use is made not only of plastic powders used for molding purposes but also of special equipmentfor carrying out the plastic molding operations easily and steadily.

A still further object thereof is to provide a practical miniature set of materials and equipment, together with a suitable book of instructions, for enabling youngsters to become acquainted in a simple way with the rudimentary principles of plastic molding so that they may apply same immediately to the casting of simple forms and bodies in a manner indicative of actual practice followed by industrial concerns. With the above and further objects in view my invention consists in the combination, arrangement, and details of construction disclosed in the drawings, and specifications and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts-{throughout the respective views,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a backing board upon which is mounted an array of matr ials and parts efequipment needed to carry out-.a plastic molding-operation, Figure 2 is a'fragmental sectional view taken onel-ine 22 of Figure, 1,

-Figure 3 is a section taken on line 33 of Figure 1,

- Figure 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1, i Figure 5 is a side elevation, partlyin section, of the device used to cast an object in a mold, and

Figure 6 is a cross section taken on line 6-6 of Figure 1 1'." '5. In the drawings, wherein the; parts used are illustrative. invention I 2 disclose a complete set of materials and equipment in miniature formfor molding objects from plastic materials.

On a stiff backing board of suitable strength designated ID, I effectively secure all the parts composing the plastic educational set. They have been selected with a view to facilitatin mastery of the art of casting plastic articles by pressure methods. An array of the things needed is placed in easily accessible form upon the backing board ID, in such a manner that the effective area of the board may be utilized to hold and support the various things provided for repeated use.

The backing board It is punched out and indented in as many places as is necessary to provide integral ears or lugs for frictionally receiving and holding these things. In general H and I2 designate these indented lugs where they are arranged in horizontal alignment upon the board I 0. Sometimes these oppositely arranged lugs II and I2 are arranged'in vertical alignment. In either case they are used largely to hold sheet like materials with flat surfaces. As shown in Figure 3 these lugs are pressed out from slots l1 formed in a backing board I0, and they take on the form of right angularly shaped hooks to act as guides into and out of which the sheets or sheet like materials may be slid.

The ears or lugs 13 and M are also oppositely arranged and may be disposed in vertical alignment, being pieces struck out right angularly with respect to the face of the backing board l0. These pieces l3 and M are formed with openings for the slidable frictional reception of tubular or rodlike bodies. .In some instances these simple right angular lugs are arranged in horizontal alignment as indicated at i5and. [6. They are also formed with openings to hold slender rod-like bodies.

1 Instead of lugs being pressed out from the backing board having free ends, a slot forming integral projection may. be punched out in indented relation to the board as is designated l8 and such as is shown in Figure 4. This is a loop shaped cleat which is extended outwardly from the board I ll, and disposed either in a vertical or horizontal direction on the board, in such a manner as to provide a guiding slot l9 for receiving and holding frictionally an object used in casting.

The, foregoing means of removably holding or supporting the various items provided for molding plastic compositions may be varied but are foundinexpensive expedients because punched outfrom the same backing display board Ill.

The set contains-besides the things needed me d g book of in ruct n- 30. ent t that he will dovetail the same into the legs 42-, 43 of the press to seat this plate upon the cross beam 45 thereof. This he effects by fitting the recessed portions 30, 3| of the plate against the legs. Having done this, he similarly dovetails the recessed portions 30, 3! of a cover plate 29 upon the legs of the press and places this cover plate in surmounted relation with respect to the mold plate 29.

The next step in the procedure is to raise the tip end 46 of the screw rod. 48 in the press high enough to enable the cover plate 29 to be raised with one hand above the mold plate 29a to permit molding plastic powder to be poured into the mold plate. For this purpose one of the tubes 28 will be removed from the board and its contents emptied into the recesses delineating the form of the object it is desired to cast. If it is desired to color this powder before pouring same into the mold plate the boy will remove dish 35 from the board and empty some of the contents of tube 32 into this dish, after removing the tube from the board. Then having poured powder from tube 28 into this dish 35, he takes the spoon-33 from the board and stirs up well the coloring matter and the powder by means of this spoon until he gets the proper consistency desired.

Before pouring the powder into the mold plate 29a the boy will take some wax from envelope 22 and coat the impression-making surface of plate 29a therewith as well as the covering surface of the cover plate 29. He takes one of the dishes 36 and sets it down upon the plate 52 which rests upon the base board 31, removes a heating pellet or tablet 25 from envelope 24 on the board and places the tablet in this dish. He turns the crank 49 of screw rod 48 and advances the screw downwardly until its top end 46 engages the cover plate 29. He then lights the heating tablet in the dish 36 to set it afiame. This is denoted at 53. He presses the cover plate 29 against the mold plate 29a which contains the plastic powder.

He allows the flame 53 to play upon the under surface of the mold plate 29a for a short period of time to heat the powder in it. At the right temperature the powder begins to cake and solidify in the mold plate 29a, with a tendency to bloat itself out of the mold. By imparting the right degree of pressure of the cover plate 29 upon the mold plate 29a no surplus material can leave the mold plate 29a, and the mass to be shaped therein will be confined between the two plates. 1

At the proper time the crank 49 will againbe turned to retract the tip 46 of screw rod 48 from engagement with cover plate 29. The boy then removes the tweezers 31a from the board and by means of same can grasp hold of the cover plate and remove it from the press. Due to the wax glazed surface of the cover plate which covered the plastic mass in the mold plate the cover plate should not stick to this mass. Similarly due to the fact that the boy has wax glazed the surface of the impression making part 5| of the mold plate, he should be able to quickly remove as by dropping the shaped mass out of the mold plate without difiiculty.

He can now take the polishing rag or cloth 34 in one hand after applying some of the polishing composition contained in envelope 26 on the board upon the surface of the object just cast. He will then rub and burnish the object until it takes on a polished glaze.

In carrying out the steps of the procedure outlined hereinbefore the same practical effects are produced on a miniature scale as are obtained by following more elaborate industrial applications. The student is enabled to learn the rudiments of this art of plastic molding and how to bestow particular attention by restoring to minor details of finishing the object shaped out from the plastic composition. He learns in an orderly way how to become proficient in the use and application of the different media employed in plastic molding.

I do not mean to confine myself to the exact details of construction set forth herein save as pointed out in the appended claims.

What I desire to claim is:

'1. In combination a base board having oppositely arranged marginally disposed rectangular slots provided with confronting cheek members to provide relatively small side apertures, an upright frame including posts rectangular in cross section which are fitted with their lower ends in said rectangular slots, a top cross bar integral with said posts, an intermediate cross bar between said posts, and a mold and a cover disk each having diametrically opposite rectangular recesses and a diameter larger than the distance apart of said posts, each of said disks adapted to be diagonally positioned between said posts for engaging the recessed portions thereof in dovetailed relationship with said posts to horizontally dispose said disks for seating upon said intermediate cross bar, and a crank-carrying screw rod threaded adjustably into the top cross bar of the posts and having its free end adapted to press one disk against the other disk.

2. In an educational plastic set comprising miniature molding apparatus, an inverted U- shaped press frame comprising a pair of spaced apart parallel side posts on said frame and an integral upper cross bar on said frame between said posts, an intermediate cross bar between said posts below said upper bar, a base, said base formed with slots therethrough along the marginal edges thereof, the lower ends of said posts slidably and frictionally engaging in said slots, a bolt threadably engaging through said upper cross bar, a substantially circular upper mold disk slidably supported on said posts, a lower mold disk seated on said intermediate cross bar, each of said disks formed with marginal recesses on opposite side edges thereof for engagement about'said posts and a removable dish adapted for the'reception of a heating tablet seated on said base between said side posts.

CLARENCE. A. EVANS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Davidson Aug. 27, 1946 

